Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Sick Leave

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of days of sick leave taken by staff in his Department for mental health reasons in each year since 2010.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The table below provides details on the number of days sickness absence for the central Department for Transport attributed to mental health reasons from the financial year beginning 1 April 2010 to 1 April 2016: PeriodTotal days sickness absence (FTE) due to mental disordersAverage Working Days Lost (AWDL) for all sickness reasons, including mental healthAverage Working Days Lost (AWDL) due to mental health reasons1 April 2010 - 31 March 201111444.30.61 April 2011 - 31 March 201213564.50.81 April 2012 - 31 March 201316344.71.11 April 2013 - 31 March 201414363.30.81 April 2014 - 31 March 20157953.50.41 April 2015 - 31 March 201618373.60.91 April 2016 - 31 March 201716253.60.8 The Department has a number of sources of support for employees including a free to use Employee Assistance Programme which offers six counselling sessions at a convenient location within days of referral, and a Mental Health Buddy Network run by volunteers. We have also launched a Mental Health First Aid service run by trained volunteers for colleagues in immediate emotional distress. We recognise the importance of the line manager in mental health, and have a resource available for line managers to provide guidance on managing colleagues with mental health difficulties/issues. We have launched Wellbeing Action Plans, a tool to guide line managers in having conversations around wellbeing, including mental health.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Sick Leave

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of days of sick leave taken by staff in his Department for mental health reasons in each year since 2010.

Richard Harrington: Sickness absence data is published annually online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-sickness-absence.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Living Wage

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many staff in his Department that work (a) inside and (b) outside Greater London are paid at a rate below the Real Living Wage.

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many staff in his Department that work (a) inside and (b) outside Greater London are paid at a rate below the London Living Wage.

Richard Harrington: There are no staff in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy paid less than the National Living Wage.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Working Hours

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the weekly contracted hours are for the highest paid member of staff in his Department.

Richard Harrington: The highest paid member of staff within the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is contracted to work 42 hours per week, including an allowance of an hour a day for meal breaks. As a Senior Civil Servant, they are required to work such additional hours as may from time to time be reasonable and necessary for the efficient performance of duties, for which they are not eligible to be paid overtime.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Staff

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many staff (a) are employed directly by, (b) are seconded to and (c) work under contract to his Department.

Richard Harrington: The number of staff employed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are as follows: Employed directly: 3538Seconded in: 53Under contract: 80**excludes agency staff etc supplied via an agency.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

China: Religious Freedom

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Chinese Government on reports that the freedom and rights of religious citizens are being restricted.

Mark Field: We remain deeply concerned about the persecution of Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Falun Gong practitioners and others on the grounds of their religion or belief in China. The freedom to practice, change or share ones faith or belief without discrimination or violent opposition is a human right that all people should enjoy. We believe that societies which aim to guarantee freedom of religion or belief are more stable, prosperous and more resilient against violent extremism. We regularly raise these concerns with the Chinese Government. I raised the situation in Xinjiang, where amongst other things we have serious concerns about restrictions on freedom of religion or belief, during my visit to China in late July. The Foreign Secretary also raised our concerns about Xinjiang during his visit to China on 30 July. More broadly, we raised restrictions on freedom of religion or belief with the Chinese authorities at the UK/China Human Rights Dialogue which took place in Beijing in June 2017, and in our statement at the UN Human Rights Council on 27 June 2018.​

USA: International Criminal Court

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his US counterpart urging him to (a) reassess his attitude towards the International Criminal Court and (b) recognise that the prosecution of war criminals is an important duty for all states.

Sir Alan Duncan: The International Criminal Court has our full support in pursuing the mandate it was given under the Rome statute.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Sick Leave

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of days of sick leave taken by staff in his Department for mental health reasons in each year since 2010.

Sir Alan Duncan: The number of days of sick absence taken by staff in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) for mental health reasons in each year since 2010 recorded on HR systems was as follows:2010: 2,159 2011: 888 2012: 4,974 2013: 4,730 2014: 3,123 2015: 2,180: 2016: 4,772: 2017: 4,734 2018 (up until 30 June*): 1,764* It is standard practice to report a year's worth of sickness absence data on a quarterly basis (in arrears). Our last quarterly reporting period was until June 2018.The figures above relate to FCO UK-based staff only, and do not include local staff employed by missions overseas, for whom records are not held centrally. "Mental health" includes any absence recorded in the categories of depression, mental illness and stress.

Sanctions: Human Rights

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the Government plans to impose sanctions for gross human rights violations under the (a) Criminal Finances Act 2017 and (b) Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018.

Mark Field: The UK currently implements sanctions through the EU and will continue to do so until we leave. The Criminal Finances Act 2017 introduced a provision which allows property obtained as a result of gross human rights abuse to be subject to the civil recovery provisions in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. The use of this power is for the operational agencies to decide.Although not yet commenced, the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 will allow us to take a range of actions against those suspected of gross human rights violations, which includes asset-freezes and travel bans. The use of this power is again for the operational agencies to decide. We are currently in the process of establishing procedures and frameworks to adopt sanctions under the Sanctions Act. While it is therefore too early to make decisions about specific individual listings, the Prime Minister has made clear that we are looking to carry over all EU sanctions in force at the time of our departure from the EU. The names of individuals sanctioned by the UK under the Act, including those sanctioned because of gross human rights violations, will be published on the appropriate government website (gov.uk).

Sanctions: Russia

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the list of people sanctioned under the (a) Criminal Finances Act 2017 and (b) Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 will include (i) Aleksey Vasilyevich Anichin, former Deputy Interior Minister, (ii) Alexander Ivanovich Bastrykin, former First Deputy Prosecutor General, (iii) Aleksey Droganov, Interior Ministry employee, (iv) Alexandra Viktorovna Gaus, prison doctor, (v) Stanislav Evgenievich Gordievsky, official, investigative committee, Interior Ministry, (vi) Victor Yakovlevich Grin, Deputy Prosecutor General, (vii) Pavel Karpov, investigator, Interior Ministry, (viii) Yelena Khimina, tax official, (ix) Vyacheslav Georgievich Khlebnikov, businessman, (x) Dmitry Vladislavovich Klyuev, owner, Universal Savings Bank, (xi) Dmitriy Komnov, head of the Butyrka Detention Centre, (xii) Dmitry Borisovch Kratov, former deputy head, Butyrka prison, (xiii) Andrei Alexandrovich Krechetov, investigator, Interior Ministry, (xiv) Aleksey Krivoruchko, judge, (xv) Artem Kuznetsov, officer, Interior Ministry, (xvi) Larisa Antolievna Litvinova, prison doctor, (xvii) Oleg Logunov, deputy head, Interior Ministry investigation committee, (xviii) Viktor Aleksandrovich Marklov, businessman, (xix) Andrey Pechegin, official responsible for oversight, Interior Ministry, (xx) Gennady Nikolaevich Plaksin, businessman, (xxi) Sergei Podoprigorov, judge, (xxii) Ivan Pavlovitch Prokopenko, prison officer, (xxiii) Oleg Silchenko, officer, Interior Ministry, (xxiv) Yelena Stashina, judge, (xxv) Vladlen Yurievich Stepanov, company director, (xxvi) Olga Stepanova, head of Moscow tax office No. 28, (xxvii) Fikret Tagiyev, head of the Matrosskaya Tishina Detention Centre, (xxviii) Dmitri Tolchinskiy, employee, Interior Ministry, (xxix) Svetlana Ukhnalyova, judge and (xxx) Natalya Vinogradova, officer, Interior Ministry.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK currently implements sanctions through the EU and will continue to do so until we leave. Although not yet commenced, the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 will allow us to take a range of actions against those suspected of gross human rights violations, which include (but are not limited to) asset-freezes and travel bans.We are currently in the process of establishing procedures and frameworks to adopt sanctions under the Act. While it is too early to make decisions about specific individual listings, the Prime Minister has made it clear that we are looking to carry over all EU sanctions in force at the time of our departure from the EU.The names of individuals sanctioned by the UK under the Act, including those sanctioned because of gross human rights violations, will be published on the appropriate government website.

Department for Education

Whitehaven Academy: Expenditure

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Oral Answer of the Minister for School Standards on 10 September 2018, Official Report, column 456, how much funding was allocated from the public purse to improve (a) teaching, (b) resources and (c) the school estate at Whitehaven Academy.

Nadhim Zahawi: To date, the department has provided a package of support in the rebrokerage of The Whitehaven Academy which includes the full sponsored rebrokerage tariff of £150,000; environmental improvement grant of £80,000 and emergency strategic school improvement fund of £73,600. We are committed to supporting Cumbria Education Trust (CET) to ensure they can drive forward teaching and resource improvements at The Whitehaven Academy when they formally take on the school. The department is also making a substantial capital investment, to give a much needed fresh start for all at The Whitehaven Academy. The project will see the majority of the existing school buildings demolished and rebuilt, and will be delivered by the department, with CET involved throughout the design and construction phase.

Academies: Standards

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Oral Answer of the Minister for School Standards on 10 September 2018, Official Report, column 456, what improvements have been made by the Education and Skills Funding Agency in relation to the oversight of multi-academy trusts.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department’s academy trust intervention strategy is robust, ensuring that where concerns are identified, our intervention is proportionate to the risk and preserves the effective education of children. By combining school improvement and financial management oversight, the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) works with Regional School Commissioners to ensure that the department’s intervention is joined up and consistent. We are continually looking to develop and strengthen our approach. The Academies Financial Handbook is strengthened year on year to enhance the accountability framework. We published a new edition in June 2018, the main changes were:Executive pay – even more focus on the board’s responsibility for ensuring decisions about senior leaders’ pay are proportionate, justifiable and clearly documented;Related party transactions (RPTs) – embedding a new requirement for trusts to report all RPTs to the ESFA in advance and to seek approval for those over £20,000;Management accounts – emphasising a rigorous approach to setting and monitoring financial plans, including board engagement;Audit findings – being clear that trusts must respond in an appropriate and timely manner to advice from auditors, taking opportunities to strengthen their systems.Overall, the financial health of the academies sector is strong: the latest published accounts show no regularity exceptions for over 95% of trusts and 98% of trusts’ accounts received unqualified opinions.

Social Workers

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) male and (b) female social workers were employed in each of the last five years.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department only collects the numbers of child and family social workers employed by local authorities in England. Data on the gender of social workers was only collected on a mandatory basis for the first time in 2017. Therefore, there is only one year of data available on the gender of child and family social workers.The figures that are available can be found in the ‘Children’s social work workforce’ publication. This can be accessed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childrens-social-work-workforce-2017.As of 30 September 2017, 26,310 females and 4,360 males were employed as child and family social workers by local authorities in England.

Ministry of Justice

Ashfield Prison: Prison Officers

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prison Custody Officers were certified in HMP Ashfield as at 1 April (a) 2010, (b) 2012, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prison Custody Officers were certified in HMP Birmingham as at 1 April (a) 2010, (b) 2012, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prison Custody Officers were certified in HMP Bronzefield as at 1 April (a) 2010, (b) 2012, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prison Custody Officers were certified in HMP Doncaster as at 1 April (a) 2010, (b) 2012, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prison Custody Officers were certified in HMP Dovegate as at 1 April (a) 2010, (b) 2012, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prison Custody Officers were certified in HMP/YOI Forest Bank as at 1 April (a) 2010, (b) 2012, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prison Custody Officers were certified in HMP Lowdham Grange as at 1 April (a) 2010, (b) 2012, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prison Custody Officers were certified in HMP Peterborough as at 1 April (a) 2010, (b) 2012, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prison Custody Officers were certified in HMP Rye Hill as at 1 April (a) 2010, (b) 2012, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prison Custody Officers were certified in HMP Thameside as at 1 April (a) 2010, (b) 2012, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prison Custody Officers were certified in HMP Northumberland as at 1 April (a) 2010, (b) 2012, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the prison population in HMP Birmingham was on 1 April (a) 2010, (b) 2012, (c) 2017 and  (d) 2018.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the population in HMP Bronzefield was on 1 April (a) 2010, (b) 2012, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the population in HMP Doncaster was on 1 April (a) 2010, (b) 2012, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the prison population in HMP Dovegate was on 1 April (a) 2010, (b) 2012, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018.

Rory Stewart: HM Prison and Probation do not hold data on the number of Prison Custody Officers certified. This table displays the number of funded posts at each privately managed prison for January, for each year where data is available.Prison2018201720122010HMP Ashfield173.35152Not AvailableNot AvailableHMP Birmingham501499.5521 HMP Bronzefield352.66332.79355369HMP Doncaster411.47406.48404590HMP Dovegate521.6526539543HMP YOI Forest Bank529.38573548Not AvailableHMP Lowdham Grange449.3406.6Not AvailableNot Available HMP Peterborough580.5618.01551.45Not AvailableHMP Rye Hill255.75257246259HMP Thameside399406  HMP Northumberland398.3408.3   The blank areas on the table indicate that a prison was not open in that year (Thameside and Northumberland) or that the prison was operated by the public sector at that time (Birmingham). Where data for a particular year is not available, this is indicated in the table. As the provision of this management information is not a contractual requirement, some of the historical data was not captured. This table displays the population at each privately managed prison for 31st March each year, prison population figures are published regularly.Prison2018201720122010 HMP Birmingham1,2909111,4651,461HMP Bronzefield517553503527HHP Doncaster1,1121,1341,1341,120HMP Dovegate1,1151,0891,1121,137 Operators of privately managed prisons are required to deliver sufficient recruitment and training of staff to ensure they maintain a safe, decent and secure prison as per their contractual obligation. The performance of all providers continues to be robustly managed. We will not hesitate to take action if and when standards fall short.

Parc Prison: Prison Officers

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prison Custody Officers were certified in HMP/YOI Parc as at 1 April (a) 2010, (b) 2012, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018.

Rory Stewart: HM Prison and Probation do not hold data on the number of Prison Custody Officers certified. This table displays the number of funded posts at at HMP/YOI Parc for January each year.Prison2018201720122010HMP YOI Parc721.04718.3653593 Operators of privately managed prisons are required to deliver sufficient recruitment and training of staff to ensure they maintain a safe, decent and secure prison as per their contractual obligation. The performance of all providers continues to be robustly managed. We will not hesitate to take action if and when standards fall short.

Treasury

Treasury: Sick Leave

Justin Madders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of days of sick leave taken by staff in his Department for mental health reasons in each year since 2010.

Robert Jenrick: The number of days sick leave taken due to mental health reasons can be found in the Annual Report and Accounts which can be accessed via this link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-annual-report Since 2014/15 we are now intervening earlier with preventive measures which may have had a positive impact on days lost to mental health-related sickness. HM Treasury has the following support in place for those that are suffering due to stress:Stress and Mental Health Awareness elearning – learn about stress, what the stressors can be and how to identify and lessen stressStress risk assessment used to identify stressors and implement controls to help reduce/eliminate the stressWorkplace Adjustments including flexible workingStress Management guidance and a Mental Health Guide for ManagersTips to help reduce stressMental Health First AidersEmployee Assistance Programme – this is a confidential 24/7 helpline that can offer point people to whereOccupational Health provisionMental Wellbeing NetworkTreasury Supporters who are employees trained to help colleagues work through any concerns, however serious whatever their causeWellness Action PlansTime to Talk WorkshopsHR AdvisersHealth, Safety & Wellbeing Team

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Public Lavatories: Disability

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress the Government has made in increasing (a) the number of and (b) access to Changing Places toilets.

Kit Malthouse: The number of Changing Places toilets continues to increase, with 1162 facilities available today, compared to 140 in 2007. The Government has supported the development of a web based map showing the location of Changing Places toilets and has recently announced, in its Inclusive Transport Strategy, £2 million grant funding for Changing Places facilities in motorway service areas. The Government is considering what further can be done to promote the provision of Changing Places toilets.

Right to Buy Scheme: Midlands

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timescale is for the publication of the outcome of the large-scale regional pilot scheme in the Midlands of extending the right to buy to housing association tenants.

Kit Malthouse: The Midlands pilot will enable thousands of housing association tenants to buy their homes, and will be fully evaluated after completion. The evaluation will be published in due course after the pilot concludes.

Ethnic Groups

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the Government's policy is on the establishment of an official Mixed Race Day in the UK to celebrate the heritage and contribution of British citizens of mixed race.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Britain is one of the world’s most successful multi-ethnic and multi-faith societies. We are proud of this diversity which has contributed so much to our culture and our economy and has made us the strong, vibrant nation we are today.Our nation already celebrates many events, religious festivals and anniversaries where people from diverse backgrounds can come together to celebrate their culture and 'Britishness', including the Notting Hill Carnival, the 'Great Get Together', National Windrush Day and St George's Day. We believe these provide a sufficient platform to celebrate the heritage and contribution of British citizens of mixed race.

Refuges: Domestic Violence

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the July 2018 report of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission entitled Pressing for Progress, if he will take steps to (a) address the national shortage of refuge space for women who are fleeing domestic violence and (b) ensure that women are not refused refuge because there is not sufficient room for their children.

Nigel Adams: The Government is absolutely committed to protecting all victims of domestic abuse. I note the recommendations regarding tackling Domestic Violence, Abuse and Femicide in the July 2018 Equalities and Human Rights Commission report, Pressing for Progress.Since 2014, my Department has invested £33.5 million in services to support victims of domestic abuse, including refuges. In addition on 2 July we launched an £18.8 million fund for domestic abuse services, including refuges. This fund, which closed to applications on 28 August, was open to all local authorities across England to bid for a share. We will announce successful projects in due course.My Department is also carrying out a review of how domestic abuse services are commissioned and funded locally across England. The review is being informed by an independent audit, run by Ipsos MORI, of provision of domestic abuse services across England, which is enabling us to understand what impact services are having and identify any gaps. We are working closely with other Departments, organisations within sector and local authorities, to develop future, sustainable delivery options for domestic abuse services, including refuges.We are considering the needs of children in the review, and we have been clear that we expect local authorities to conduct robust needs assessments to meet the needs of all victims when commissioning domestic abuse services, including those presenting with children.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the recommendations of the July 2018 report of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission entitled Pressing for Progress, if he will take steps to (a) replace the current definition of Gypsies and Travellers in the Government's policy paper Planning policy for traveller sites with the definition in the Housing Act 2004 and (b) reintroduce the duty on local authorities to provide sites for Gypsies and Travellers.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published a consultation earlier this year alongside the Home Office and Ministry of Justice, in order to seek views on the effectiveness of powers for dealing with unauthorised development and encampments. Views were sought on a range of related issues, including planning for travellers and site provision. The consultation closed on 15 June, with over 2,000 responses received. We are currently considering the responses to this consultation, alongside those submitted in response to the recent consultation on the National Planning Policy Framework, before deciding on next steps. We will announce a way forward in due course.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Sick Leave

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of days of sick leave taken by staff in his Department for mental health reasons in each year since 2010.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The requested information is provided in the table below: Ministry of Defence (MOD) Civilian Personnel, number of working days (Full Time Equivalent) lost to Mental and Behavioural Disorders (International Classification of Diseases (ICD), version 10, PSD) Financial Year (FY)Number of days of  Sickness due to  Absence code  ICD10 PSDTotal number of days lost to sickness absence (all reasons)Proportion of Civilian Personnel who had an  Absence code ICD10 PSD2007-08126,180648,44019.5%2008-09108,260596,10018.2%2009-10102,390591,74017.3%2010-1199,570553,81018.0%2011-1298,350512,35019.2%2012-1381,280439,01018.5%2013-1484,030406,39020.7%2014-1587,070403,50021.6%2015-1678,770361,48021.8%2016-1774,420356,62020.9% Notes: The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) (version 10) uses the ICD code PSD Mental and Behavioural Disorders to register medical conditions of stress. This code also covers other conditions within this category.Figures exclude the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Locally Employed Civilians for whom no data is available.The reduction in sick absence in FY 2012-13 is due to MOD personnel leaving the Department through a voluntary early release scheme. Civilian Sickness Absence data has been published on the GOV.UK website since January 2016 and the latest available edition can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-civilian-sickness-absence-financial-year-201617. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) takes the health and wellbeing of its personnel very seriously. The Department’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy for all MOD employees, military and civilian, is designed to provide guidance to the Chain of Command and civilian line managers on how to manage the health needs, both mental and physical, of their people. The aim is to maximise the number of people fit to work, managing people back to work after a period of sickness, so that they are fit and able to meet the requirements of Defence outputs, including operational effectiveness. In 2017, the Department also launched its Defence People Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2017 – 2022 with a four-step plan of implementation; promotion, prevention, detection and treatment. All civilian staff can access the Department’s Employee Wellbeing Service which offers emotional support and advice on life events as well as counselling services. In addition, the Speak Safe helpline provides a safe space to discuss issues relating to bullying, harassment and discrimination. The Department also has over 2000 civilian and military Mental Health First Aiders, each of whom has completed a two-day course delivered in accordance with the requirements of Mental Health First Aid England (or equivalent).

Department for Work and Pensions

New Enterprise Allowance

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse has been of the New Enterprise Allowance in each of the last five years.

Alok Sharma: Between April 2011 and December 2017, New Enterprise Allowance has supported over 113,000 people to start their own business. The Departmental spend on New Enterprise Allowance (NEA), comprising contracted mentoring costs and Allowance payments to participants who had started to trade from 2013/14 is set out in the table below: £m2013/142014/152015/162016/172017/18Total NEA spend58.844.220.229.122.1 Notes: The reducing spend reflects: Rising employment ratesThe introduction of the Link Up Start Up (LUSU) workshop in April 2017 (to assess the viability of a claimant’s business) prior to starting on NEAA refund of costs in 2015/16 from suppliers from the Grant Funded phase of the NEA which ended in December 2014.

Universal Credit

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the planned timescale is for the transitional protection period for universal credit.

Alok Sharma: Transitional Protection will not be awarded for a fixed period, but will remain in place until the underlying Universal Credit entitlement increases, which will bring claimants’ entitlement into line with that of those making new claims. Transitional Protection will end, however, if the claimant has a significant change of circumstance. Subject to Parliament approving the necessary legislation, which we have announced will be brought forward in the autumn, we will be starting managed migration of existing benefit claimants to Universal Credit in 2019 and plan to complete this process in 2023. It is estimated this legislation will bring in £2.6 billion of transitional protection by 2023 (OBR Welfare Trends report January 2018) boosting the incomes of around 1 million Universal Credit households. The regulations also include additional transitional protection arrangements for all approximately 500,000 claimants eligible for a Severe Disability Premium.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints from women born in the 1950s are being considered by the Independent Case Examiner.

Guy Opperman: We have interpreted this as a request for information about the total number of live complaints currently being considered by the Independent Case Examiner’s Office, from women born in the 1950s regarding changes to State Pension age. As at the 11 September 2018, the Independent Case Examiner’s Office had 3,214 such complaints under consideration, at various stages of its process.

Department for Work and Pensions: Sick Leave

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of days of sick leave taken by staff in her Department for mental health reasons in each year since 2010.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department for Work and Pensions takes the Health, Safety and Wellbeing of its staff very seriously and recognises the need to support its employees with work related Mental Health conditions and its legal duties to do so. We are committed to reducing sick absence as a result of work-related mental health conditions and provides a number of services in place to support its employees in managing those conditions in the workplace. This includes Stress Management Policy, Working Well Together Strategy and our established network of Mental Health First Aiders. The table below provides details of the recorded Working Days LostDWP Working Days Lost (WDL) for Mental Health Reasons Period Working Days Lost - FTE DWP Headcount at 31 March April 2009 - March 2010181,480120,069 April 2010 - March 2011184,667109,445 April 2011 - March 2012144,83099,958 April 2012 - March 2013153,681104,889Child Support joins DWPApril 2013 - March 2014149,61495,923 April 2014 - March 2015123,61990,018 April 2015 - March 2016111,96084,919 April 2016 - March 2017116,10884,052

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Labour Turnover

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the level of staff turnover in his Department.

Mr Robin Walker: DExEU was set up as a time-limited department with a clear mandate to carry out a historic task: implement the democratic decision of the British people to leave the EU.In keeping with this, the majority of our staff are employed on fixed-term contracts or are loaned from other Government departments, and many have been drawn from Civil Service talent streams.Many of those who have left to date have moved on to other government departments because their loan or rotation ended. Only a small minority have actually left the Civil Service.The Department for Exiting the European Union now has over 650 staff. The Department continues to recruit the brightest and the best from across the civil service, the wider public sector and the private sector, in a range of professions.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Brexit

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the 2018-19 Main Estimates, published in April 2018, how much funding his Department has allocated to prepare for the UK leaving the EU.

George Hollingbery: Holding answer received on 13 September 2018



HM Treasury has already allocated over £2 billion of additional funding to departments and the devolved administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This includes the £1.5 billion of additional funding HM Treasury announced at Autumn Budget 2017 for 2018/19. A full breakdown of how this was allocated to departments can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/). This money will be paid out in Supplementary Estimates 18/19 later this financial year.

Trade Remedies Authority

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what proportion of his Department's budget will be spent on funding the Trade Remedies Authority.

George Hollingbery: As we prepare to operate an independent trade policy outside the EU, we are creating the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) to protect domestic industry from injury caused by unfair trading practices, such as dumped or subsidised imports, or from injury caused by unforeseen surges in imports. The Department for International Trade (DIT) has budgeted up to £12.8m in 2018/19 of which £8.9m is under a Ministerial Direction issued on the 29th of March 2018 by my Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade to authorise initial spending on setting up the TRA ahead of the Trade Bill gaining Royal Assent.(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-remedies-authority-tra-dit-ministerial-direction) The budget is subject to change as legislation and implementation work proceeds. Funding for 2019/20 will be confirmed later in the financial year following Treasury decisions on additional EU exit funding allocations and the Department’s business planning process. Funding beyond 2019/20 will be an issue for the Spending Review. As per the 2018-19 Main Estimates, DIT’s total funding is £360.6m.It was announced in March 2017 that DIT would also receive £74m of EU exit funding, which can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540. (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/) The proportion to be spent on funding the TRA is therefore 3%.

Trade Remedies Authority

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the timeline is for the establishment of the Trade Remedies Authority.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the timetable is for the Trade Remedies Authority to be fully operational.

George Hollingbery: We are working to set up the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) by the time the UK leaves the EU. The Trade Bill, which recently received its Second Reading in the House of Lords, is legislating to establish this body in UK law.

Trade Remedies Authority

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many staff he plans for the Trade Remedies Authority to employ; and if he will list those positions by Civil Service band.

George Hollingbery: According to current plans, the Trade Remedies Authority will employ 129 staff members.The breakdown of these positions by Civil Service grade is as follows:SCS2: 1SCS1: 5Grade 6: 16Grade 7: 54SEO: 31HEO: 18EO: 4Total: 129

Trade Remedies Authority

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many job roles in the Trade Remedies Authority are (a) filled, (b) in the process of being filled, (c) currently being advertised for and (d) yet to be advertised for.

George Hollingbery: According to current plans, the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) will employ 129 staff members. We are in the process of filling all 129 roles, with over 50 roles offered so far. A further recruitment phase for TRA staff has just been released to fill remaining roles and ensure that the TRA is operational by March 2019.

Department for International Trade: Sick Leave

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of days of sick leave taken by staff in his Department for mental health reasons in each year since his Department's inception.

George Hollingbery: The number of working days sick leave taken for mental health reasons by employees working for the Department for International Trade (DIT) and UK Export Finance (UKEF) in each year since its inception is shown in the table below. The data includes any absence recorded as either Depression or Anxiety/Stress and includes staff working in the UK and overseas. TotalCore DIT July 2016 – June 2017582UKEF July 2016 – June 2017136 The data above is taken from entries that are self-reported in the department’s HR systems by employees.The data is restricted to June 2017 in order to permit comparison with wider civil service data which is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-sickness-absence.The department recognises and takes seriously the wellbeing of its employees and has now put in place mental health first aiders who can provide a range of support to both employees and managers.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Sick Leave

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of days of sick leave taken by staff in his Department for mental health reasons in each year since 2010.

Margot James: The number of working days lost to sickness absence relating to mental health for each of the years for which data has been published is:2014: 2272015: 822016: 259 The department has implemented a number of policies to ensure that staff feel comfortable in taking, and reporting, mental health-related sickness absence includingearly referral to occupational health experts, particularly for mental health and stress,early referral to Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy based counselling support for mental health issues,workplace adjustments that help to prevent conditions from developing or worsening, whilst reducing the barriers to work for those affected by mental or physical impairments,extensive training for managers and employees - including on disability and mental health awareness, well-being, resilience and stress.line managers can use the Stress Assessment and Reduction Plan toolkit in identifying and managing stress when required,a page on the intranet is dedicated to stress management and it contains resources to support line managers and employees identify and manage stress. Finally, the Department is a signatory to the ‘Time to Change Pledge’ and raises awareness of mental health and coping strategies through national campaigns such as the ‘Time to Talk’ day and the Mental Health Awareness Week. The department also organises ‘Mindfulness’ sessions for employees.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Living Wage

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff in his Department that work (a) inside and (b) outside Greater London are paid at a rate below the Real Living Wage.

Margot James: No staff in the Department working (a) inside or (b) outside Greater London are paid at a rate below the Real Living Wage.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Living Wage

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff in his Department that work (a) inside and (b) outside Greater London are paid at a rate below the London Living Wage.

Margot James: No staff in the Department working (a) inside or (b) outside Greater London are paid at a rate below the London Living Wage.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Working Hours

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the weekly contracted hours are for the highest paid member of staff in his Department.

Margot James: As of 1st September 2018, the highest paid member of staff in the department has contracted hours of 41 hours per week, including unpaid daily breaks of one hour.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Staff

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff (a) are employed directly by, (b) are seconded to and (c) work under contract to his Department.

Margot James: The number of staff in each of those categories at 31 July 2018 was as follows:a) 985b) 8c) 54

Women and Equalities

Equality Act 2010

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what progress the Government has made on the implementation of section 36 of the Equality Act 2010.

Victoria Atkins: In March this year, the Government announced its intention to commence Section 36 of the Equality Act 2010 in its response to the Women and Equalities Select Committee report on disability and the built environment. The announcement made clear that further work on identifying and assessing any additional burdens on local authorities is first required before a commencement date can be given. We hope to make an announcement on timing of commencement of Section 36 of the Equality Act 2010 as soon as possible.